Weiss Reiter
by Atsureki
Summary: AU, RanKen, YojiOmi. Weiss is moved to 1860 and set out to become a part of the Pony Express but is it just a job? Or will they perhaps find more along the dusty route they race along?
1. The Four Riders

The Pony Express

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, OCC, more warnings in later chapters *W*

Notes : I've moved the Weiß-boys to the Wild West, year 1860 *laff* You see one of my fav. series when I grew up was The Young Riders *still drooling over Gregg Rainwater/Buck* and I just had this idea one night after reading a fic based on the series. Now I will have to look up some info about the Pony express but I'll try to keep to the truth as far as possible. The town Sweetwater was as far as I know not on the route and but well I don't really care. I stole it from the series. *nods* Don't sue please! I also know that they weren't allowed to be over 18 but that I'm ignoring as well! And yes the add one of the guys read is an actual add posted in a news paper back then. Since this is taking place in USA I will have to give the boys new last names but I will let them keep their first names becuase it'll just get confusing otherwise. I'm not sure this will turn shonen-ai or even Yaoi later but with me as the writer that'll prolly happen *chuckles* The paring I have no clue about yet but again this being me most can prolly guess what the most likely ones are ne? 

Chapter 1. The Four Riders

He was running, not literally but just the same running. His life was something he just couldn't handle anymore. Carelessly he rolled a few iteams into a blanket and looked around his room. Yes, that would do. He had enough money to keep himself alive for a few weeks. As long as he didn't have to stay there everything would be just fine. With a shiver he remembered the previous night. His uncle had beaten the crap out of him, again, and just as all the other times he had done nothing wrong. He just didn't understand why that man hated him so much. No, he would not stay to allow it to happen one more time. With a stubborn look on his child-like face he walked out, down the stairs and outside. His horse waited for him and he caressed the chestnut animal with love. Daisy was the only living thing he could count on, the only one who loved him. He mounted the horse and as fast as the four strong legs could carry them they left the run-down town behind them. A new life waited for him out there and he was going to make it! He had to. Not really knowing where he was headed the young man stormed over the dusty ground. He needed a job and since the only thing he had was his horse he would have to try to become a rider for the Pony Express. With a nod he headed west towards Sweetwater.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life was unfair and it was starting to annoy him. Frowning he left the saloon and ignored the angry calls cursing the mess he left behind. He was a trouble-maker, always had been. With a temper that easily flared the hot-headed youth had a tendensy to get into fights. He seldome lost them but then breaking tables and beating up others didn't exactly make make him friends with the law. Huffing he untied his horse and started walking down the street. He would have to straighten up his life before he got himself into some serious problem. The thing that bothered him the most about that though was that he knew nothing. He was quick with his guns, good with his horse, hard with his fists but what did that help when he needed a job? The frown came back again. What kind of work requiered those things? He bit his lip as he pondered. Suddenly he stopped and tilted his head slightly to the left. There was an add on the wall of the post-office. A town called Sweetwater needed four new riders for the Pony Express. 'Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.' it read. Delivering mail between towns, well that he could handle. He glanced at the spotted horse he was leading and smiled.  
"What do you think Raisin? Would you be up for running across the country with a mail-bag?" The large gelding didn't answer of course, but he hadn't expected it either. With another smile he swung himself into the saddle and headed south. It would take him about two days to reach Sweetwater but perhaps he would find a new life there? A life that didn't include the loneliness he had felt ever since his family died or the dark secret he hid inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The women had started to get boring. It was always the same, flirting, smiling, showing off and then a quick tumble in the hay, bed or whatever place he found himself at. He was fed up with it! So far he hadn't really done anything with his life and that was starting to chip away at his mind. He was a man and as such he had pride, enough of it to get bothered by how women paid for him. Not that he had much of a choice, broke as he constantly was. The only thing he owned were his guns, his clothes and a horse with a serious attitude problem. Growling he glared at the beast he had won in a poker game. The horse in question was huge, evil and down right sadistic. It's ugly black and white face shone with malice as its odd eyes glared right back at its owner.  
"Well whoever named you Devil knew what he was doing," he muttered and carefully approached the beast. "If you bite me one more time I'll shoot you!" The horse seemed to snort at him and the long ears were glued to its head. A heavy hoof was lifted in warning. He gave Devil a hard smack and growled. "Don't you dare kick me you bastard!" Devil decided to obey and shook his huge head. Still growling he quickly pushed himself up into the saddle and turned his horse around. Someone had told him about the Pony Express needing riders. Maybe he should try that out? Why not? It wasn't like he had anything else to do at the moment and Devil was fast and fearless. Nodding to himself he headed east on the road that would lead him to Sweetwater.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The white mare was beautiful. He just couldn't take his eyes from the wonderful animal. If he could he would buy her right on the spot but he didn't even have enough money for a beer. His bland face showed nothing but inside he was sighing deeply. He just needed a chance to win some money. Thoughtfully he looked around until his eyes fell on a boxing-ring. The man running that show was also the owner of the horse he wanted. Frowning ever so slightly he walked over to see if he perhaps could make a deal. A man, lacking most of his teeth, greeted him.  
"I'm Gary and what can I do for you? You want a match?" He nodded. "Well alright then. To get the prize all you have to do is remain standing after two rounds with Butch over there." He looked towards the man Gary nodded to and winced inside. Butch was big, huge, and looked damn mean.  
"Forget the prize," he said coldly and turned his gaze back to Gary. "If I'm still standing when you ring the bell the second time I want that horse." Gary glanced towards the white mare.  
"So you want Honey. Well she is worth a little more than the normal prize. How about this, let's say three rounds and you get the horse including saddle and stuff," Gary suggested.  
"Deal." They shook hands on it and the man pushed him towards the ring.

His world spun so fast and the pain was making him even more wobbly but he had made it. He was still standing as the beautiful sound of the bell rang through the air for the third time. With blood and sweat in his eyes and turned to Gary. Honey was his!  
"You're a tough kid! Take good care of her." Almost smiling he took the reins to His horse and shakingly climbed into the saddle. His long legs hugged the muscular body between them. He had a horse of his own which meant that he now could continue north to Sweetwater. There he would fight for a place among the many riders for the Pony Express. His past would finally have to give in for his future. With loss and death painting his way in life he just needed one chance to do something right. His callous face showed none of the feelings he had inside as he rode out of town. When he had made enough money he would finally be prepared for revenge!

TBC?

So did you guess who's who? Of course you did! Right? Anyways what do you think???? Should I keep going or just burn the next chapter and focus on my three other fics? Lemme know what you think I should do. Ja/Atsureki


	2. First Encounters

The Pony Express

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC, more warnings in later chapters 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. Like I said before I've given the boys new last names but you'll see them when they appear. Later I'll prolly list them up here so there's no confusion. However, I've decided to let Ran stay half-japanese. Why? Well the plot would just be too weird if I didn't. So Ran has a japanese mother but an american father *nods* This also means that his last name will remain the same and so will his tendensy so answer things with Hn or Aa. From what I've read there were quite a few chinese people in USA back in those days so why not a few Japanese too? And since this is AU pasts has been changed and stuff but most of it should be familier. Oh and about the shonen-ai. I didn't even get through chapter 2 before my wicked brain got into that. *shakes head* So well this is now shonen-ai so there you go. And **Jin **this one is for you *winks*

Chapter 2. First Encounters

Sweetwater was a small town, almost sleepy but not quiet. The Pony Express station was located about half an hour's ride to the east of town and the one in charge there was a strange man called Tin-pot. He walked around the house chewing on an onion while he pondered over his job. Picking out riders was a pest. Most of the boys had no idea of what they got themselves into and didn't understand that everytime they headed out there it could mean the end of their lives. He had already turned down ten of them. Shaking his head Tin-pot finished his onion and dried his fingers on his pants. He was 50 years old and his face was wrinkly and hard just like the sun that constantly pounded on his balding head. Annoyed he paced back and forth when a young woman stepped out on the porch.  
"Hey Dad!" she called and waved at him. "There's a rider coming in." Tin-pot narrowed his watery blue eyes and spotted a horse.  
"Got it Clair." His daughter went back inside. The rider was a kid, a small skinny kid with huge blue eyes and enough bruises to make Tin-pot wince.  
"Is this the Pony Express station?" the kid asked with hesitation and almost fell off his horse.  
"That's right kiddo. I'm Clive Adams but most people just call me Tin-pot. Are you looking to join us as a rider?"  
"Yeah, my name's Omi." Tin-pot nodded and eyed the kid.  
"How old are you Omi?"  
"16."  
"Family?" The company prefered riders without families since they expected to lose a kid or two along the dangerous route.  
"No," Omi mumbled and it was obviously a lie.  
"Parents?"  
"Dead."  
"Brothers, sisters?"  
"No." Well that didn't sound like lies at least. Tin-pot spat out a brown jet of chewing tobacco.  
"Well then Omi take care of your horse and join me inside."

An hour later a second rider approached the station, cursing loudly. He was seriously pissed off and was covered with enough dirt to grow plants on him. Tin-pot eyed the lanky blonde with amusement. With another curse the stranger jumped of his horse and started yelling at it.  
"You god damn bastard! One of these days I'm gonna turn you into a steak you fucking piece of shit!" The horse ignored its angry owner.  
"Bad day?" Tin-pot asked sweetly and was glared at by jade green eyes.  
"No bad horse! I'll shoot his useless ass one of these days, I swear!"  
"I'm Tin-pot and who might you be?"  
"Yoji Keller," the lanky blonde muttered still glaring at his horse.  
"You here to become a rider?"  
"Yeah but not on that damn beast!" Tin-pot let out a low chuckle. It was rather obvious that Yoji had gotten thrown off, probably several times.  
"It's a mustang ain't it? Those are usually a bit difficult." The blonde huffed with disgust.  
"I won him in a poker game. He's a mean son of a bitch," Yoji muttered sourly and tied his horse to the rail.  
"I think we can pick out another one for you later if you're good enough to be a Pony Express' rider." While he talked Tin-pot watched as a third rider came up to them. This one smiled and gracefully slid down from his horse.  
"Hiya I'm Ken Higgins and well I wonder if this is the station for the Pony Express."  
"G'day Ken I'm Tin-pot and you're at the right place." The three men headed towards the house.

Ken was nervous. He didn't exactly know what he was getting into but it didn't really matter. Perhaps sweating away hours in the saddle could help him with his problems? Carefully he observed the two other boys around the table. One was a short blonde with impossibly large blue eyes and the other was was a tall lanky darker blonde with green eyes. Neither one of them had said a word since Tin-pot had left them and it was making Ken rather uncomfortable. Squirming slightly on his chair he turned to the smaller blonde.  
"You've done anything like this before?" he asked sounding like a complete ass. Huge blue eyes stared at him with unease. The kid had bruises across his face and almost looked scared. He shook his head but didn't say anything. "Me neither."  
"Boys," a soft female voice said from the other side of the room. They all turned around and looked at the young woman standing there. "My name is Clair and I do the cooking around here. Now go outside and wash up, lunch is almost ready." Obediently the three young men rose from their chairs and trotted outside.  
"By the way I'm Yoji," the lanky blonde suddenly said.  
"I'm Ken."  
"Omi." They looked at each other and nodded. Yoji pull off his shirt to wash up. The tall blonde made a number of showing off his lean body. Ken frowned slightly, he hated letting strangers see his back because they always stared. But these two boys might become a part of his life so he decided to ignore his hesitation. Just as he thought two pairs of eyes eyed the scars on his back.  
"Wow that had got to hurt," the lanky blonde whistled and followed the scars with his jade eyes. Ken shrugged. Being whipped like some damn horse had hurt but that was nothing compared to the pain he had felt inside. Shuddering he pushed away the memories.  
"Yeah." The green eyes left his back to stare even harder as Omi shakingly pulled off his shirt. The small blonde's body was completely covered with bruises and cuts.  
"Jesus Christ! What happened to you?" Omi swallowed and took a few steps to the side. It was obvious that the small blonde didn't want to talk about himself.  
"N… nothing," he croaked out and quickly splashed some water over himself before he pulled his shirt back on. With a frightened, or perhaps it was just an uncomfortable, glance at Ken he turned around and left.  
"Strange kid," Yoji shrugged and washed himself. "So what's your story?" Ken raised an eyebrow.  
"I don't have a story, do you?" the brunette answered flatly. At that the lanky blonde shook his head.  
"This is great, an abused kid and a brunette with an attitude," he growled to himself and walked away.  
"And don't forget a blonde full of himself," Ken muttered after him.

Omi tried to stop himself from trembling. How could he have forgetten about the bruises and cuts? It was probably because he was so used to being all black and blue from head to toe. Swalloing hard he tried to keep himself from crying. Ken and Yoji seemed to strong and sure while he was nothing but a scared little kid who had spent most of his life getting beaten to a pulp. What on earth was he doing there? Omi whimpered quietly and walked up to Daisy to seek some comfort in her warm being. His four-legged friend seemed happy to see him at least. With his skinny arms he hugged his horse and buried his face in her golden coat. He felt so lost, like he didn't belong anywhere. When his parents had left him with his uncle they had condemned him to a life of abuse and they hadn't even cared.  
"Is this the Pony Express station?" a deep smooth voice suddenly asked. Omi jumped and turned around. A tall redhead glared down at him with cold amethyst eyes.  
"Um yes." He was given a bland look before the other boy got off of his horse. Without another word he wrapped the reins around the rail and stalked off. "Well he could have said thank you," Omi muttered to Daisy and followed the rude redhead.

Ran heard the blonde kid follow him but didn't look over his shoulder. He didn't care who it was he just wanted a job and a place to sleep. With his callous mask in place he walked up to an older man.  
"Another boy who want's to become a rider with the Pony Express?" Ran nodded. "You can call me Tin-pot. My daughter is about to serve lunch so you better wash up." The redhead nodded again and turned around. "Hey what's your name?"  
"Aya, Aya Fujimiya," Ran answered blandly without looking back. He was tired, dusty and a bit sore from riding for so long. As he turned to walk around the house he crashed into a brunette.  
"S… sorry," the slightly shorter boy studdered and looked at him with chocolate colored eyes. Ran eyed him up and down.  
"Hn," he muttered and frowned slightly. Why was that brunette staring at him like that? "Watch where you're going."  
"I said I was sorry didn't I? And besides you watch where you're going yourself!" the other boy growled. Ran's temper flared at that. He was tired and had been under a lot of pressure lately so he could do without bickering with strangers. With a huff he turned his back to the brunette.  
"Idiot!" A strong hand grabbed his arm and swirled him around.  
"What did you call me?"  
"Idiot!" Ran repeated coldly and pulled his arm free.  
"Jerk!" Amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously. The redhead snorted and started walking away again. "Rude stuck up bastard!" Enraged Ran shot back to the brunette and aimed a punch at him. The other boy ducked it easily and raised his fists. Moments later they were lying on the dusty ground fighting like maniacs.

Yoji watched Ken and a redhead rolling around in the dust with a grin on his face. The redhead was taller than Ken but that didn't seem to matter. Grinning wider he walked closer.  
"You think we should stop 'em?" Yoji glanced at Tin-pot who was leaning against the house with a smile on his lips.  
"Nah let them fight it out."  
"Yeah might as well let 'em settle this. My bet is on Ken," Tin-pot chuckled and wiped his forehead.  
"So is mine, the redhead isn't as good with his fists." They were both proven correct when a very messy brunette shakingly got to his feet while the redhead remained on the ground.  
"You boys quite done now?" Tin-pot drawled and moved away from the house.  
"Um eh sorry about this," Ken mumbled and dried the blood from his face.  
"I think you two better carry him into the barrack over there and wash him up." With that said the balding man left.  
"You've done your share of fighting huh Kenny?" Yoji snickered and bent down to check out the redhead.  
"Ken, the name is Ken not Kenny, Kenken or anything else!" The lanky blonde raised an eyebrow.  
"Sure, sure. So Ken how about we get Red here inside? I'm hungry and I ain't gonna miss lunch just because you wanted to punch someone's lights out." Together they carried the redhead to the barracks and then Yoji left Ken to tend to his handy work.

Ken groaned inside. He had spent two hours at that place and had already gotten into a fight. Why on earth had he allowed himself to get so ticked off by that redhead? Was it because he was ashamed for staring so at him? Most likely. But it wasn't his fault that the tall slender man was so damn good-looking! _Stop that,_ he sighed to himself. The last thing he needed was to drool over his future co-workers. But the redhead was beautiful. Ken growled at himself. Hadn't he learnt his lesson the last time? Obviously not since his body was reacting to the sight of the pale smooth chest that was found underneath the torn shirt he had just removed. There were a lot of bruises on that chest and most of them hadn't been caused by the fight that had just occured. With a sigh the brunette went to get some water and rags to clean up the mess he had caused. It was not a good start and he knew it. When he returned he carefully wiped away the dirt and blood from the redhead's face and chest. While he was doing that amethyst eyes opened to stare at him in confusion. Ken swallowed with effort and pulled away his hands.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… to…"  
"Beat the shit out of me?" the redhead suggested with his deep smooth voice.  
"Um yeah. As I said I am sorry." The slender man before him gave him a strange look.  
"I started it so," the redhead shrugged and winced in pain. "Damn you hit hard."  
"Sorry. I got a little carried away. Um I'm Ken by the way."  
"Aya." For a moment some kind of emotion flashed across the redhead's pale face.  
"Nice to meet you Aya."  
"Aa." So Aya was a man of few words. That was kind of bad, Ken decided, because that deep smooth baritone was beautiful to listen to.  
"I think we're late for lunch," the brunette mumbled and offered his hand to help Aya up. It was ignored and the redhead rose on his own before he picked up is ruined shirt. "I'll get ya a new one."  
"Don't bother," Aya said blandly and walked out. _Well talk about making a good first impression,_ Ken muttered to himself and stalked after the redhead.

~TBC~

I know the chapters are a bit lame at the moment but I just have to get everyone into place and stuff before I start having some fun with them *L* 

Tin-pot is based on Teaspoon Hunter from The Young Riders and that's why he's eating onions. Don't even ask me what he gets out of that *gross* And don't ask me where I got his nickname from *laffs* Okay so I picture him as a Tin-pottyperson, sorry…

Ah I almost forgot. The Pony Express was only active for 18 months, starting in april 1860. So this story sets out at that time meaning that our boys were among the first express-riders. As always, reviews makes me type faster! *hint hint nudge nudge* Ja/Atsureki


	3. We All Have Scars

The Pony Express

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC, more warnings in later chapters 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. 

Chapter 3. We All Have Scars

Why had he said that his name was Aya? Ran mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. Wasn't it enough that that name and the face that belonged to it haunted him every night? Aya, sweet smiling happy Aya. The redhead winced and shook his head. His little sister was gone, just like the rest of his family and he could do nothing about it at the moment. But one day he would get revenge against the man who brutally had murdered his beloved sister. Hate boiled in his veins. That man would pay with his life, Ran was going to make sure of that. With all his will-power the redhead managed to push aside his thoughts and headed towards his horse. For someone who hadn't felt care or anything close to it for years Ran held a lot of affection for the white mare. His body and mind needed to love and care for someone and Honey was the answer to who. Pale slender fingers ran through her thick mane as soft words spilled from Ran's lips. They didn't mean anything really, they were just sounds of endearment. He looked into the mare's big brown eyes and almost smiled. Those chocolate orbs were so warm and kind, just like Ken's. Ran winced and shook his head. What the hell was that? How had the brunette been able to sneak into his thoughts? The redhead gritten his teeth. Ken was a man, a man who had kicked his ass just a few hours ago. Since when did he find men interesting? Ran had no answers to that. Okay so he had never really looked at women but then he had never looked at men either.  
"Hey um eh Red." Ran turned around and gave a lanky blonde a stoic glance.  
"Hai," he answered before he could stop himself.  
"Huh?" The redhead muttered to himself. Because his mother had been Japanese he had picked up some bad habits when he talked.  
"Yes," Ran corrected himself and glanced at the blonde again.  
"Ah okay, Tin-pot wants to talk to us."  
"I'll be right there."  
"What's your name again?" the blonde asked with a grin on his face.  
"Aya."  
"So Aya, what kind of language was that you used earlier?" A brief shadow of confusion flashed across Ran's bland face.  
"What do you mean earlier?"  
"You were mumbling to your horse," Yoji explained and nodded to Honey. The redhead groaned inside. He tended to switch to japanese when he spoke to the mare but he hadn't thought anyone could hear him.  
"Aa, it's japanese," he answered unwillingly.  
"You don't look Japanese," the blonde said thoughtfully and ran his green gaze up and down Ran. No he didn't look Japanese and he was thankful for that, life was hard enough since he still carried his mother's family name.  
"Hn," he grunted like he usually did when he didn't have anything to say or didn't want to answer. Before Yoji could ask him anything else Ran walked away.

Ken was relaxed as he sat in the saddle and looked at Tin-pot. The man was explaining the dangers of being a rider for the Pony Express but the brunette wasn't paying attention. He didn't reallly care as long as he had something to do. His brown eyes moved from Tin-pot to the small blonde. Omi was a mystery to him. Someone had beaten the kid badly and it made Ken so angry. It was one thing to get into a fight but something told him that whoever it was that had beaten Omi he had been a whole lot bigger than the slender blonde. He had tried to talk to the kid but it was a dead end for now. Just after supper he had made the mistake of touching Omi's shoulder and the jumpy blonde had almost gone through the roof. His eyes moved and landed on Yoji instead. Yoji was without a doubt a playboy, shallow, probably not too bright and so full of himself it was a damn wonder he could tear himself away from the mirror. Ken frowned at himself, he wasn't being fair to the lanky blonde. Actually if he was honest Yoji seemed to be a lot of fun even if he was a bit self-centered. _Moving on,_ the brunette muttered to himself and set his chocolate gaze on Aya. Now there was another mystery. Aya was rude, cold, beautiful and a complete bastard. Never in his life had Ken met someone like the redhead. Something had definitely crawled up Aya's ass and died, that was if anything else could fit along with the stick that was so obviously buried there. So if he knew all those things then why did he still find himself drawn to the redhead? Ken frowned to himself. He would have to make sure he stayed clear of Aya or things would get ugly. What he really wanted was to pound the redhead into the ground, Ken just wasn't sure what kind of pounding he had in mind. Perhaps it would be so much more interesting if Aya was pounding him into the ground. Ken scowled and tore his eyes from the tempting redhead.

Omi shuddered when he felt Ken's eyes on him. He really wanted to talk to the brunette but he just couldn't get anything out. Earlier he had almost jumped out of his skin when Ken had placed a hand on his shoulder and he was so ashamed of that. It was just that hands on his body usually meant that he was about to get another beating. Omi closed his eyes and pushed aside the memories. His uncle couldn't hurt him anymore! Carefully he opened his eyes again and glanced at Yoji. The lanky blonde looked so good and the worst part was that he knew it. If it was one thing Omi had learnt in his life it was that beautiful people usually only were nice as long as they weren't aware of their looks and Yoji was most definitely aware of how he looked. The young blonde sighed sadly. He was surrounded by three strong men who seemed to fear nothing while he feared everything. Well that wasn't exactly true… When he had looked a bit more serious into Yoji's eyes he had seen a shadow of sadness there, it was the same with the redhead. Behind Aya's cold mask was hurt, loss perhaps. And Ken? Something told Omi that the one who wore the best mask was the brunette. Unlike the Aya's mask the one Ken wore seemed so cassual that most people probably didn't think twice about it. But he had seen the scars on the brunette's back and the pain in his eyes when Yoji asked about them. Maybe they all wore their masks and had scars inside?

Ken kept his eyes locked on the ground. Every damn time he looked up his face was turned towards Aya. The bland look in that beautiful face enerved him so much. What secrets did the redhead try to hide? What kind of past haunted him in his dreams? Ken shuddered. He knew all there was to know about hiding things, fighting against ghosts from the past. After all he did it every day and night. As soon as he fell asleep the whistling sounds of lashes filled his ears until he could hear nothing else. Over and over again his friend brought the cruel thing down on his back while he laughed. Used correctly that kind of whip could rip your head off but used with cruelty it ripped your heart and soul straight out of your body. The brunette swallowed and tried to push the memories away. This was no time to think about him, his friend, Kase. All the warning signs had been there, flashing that Kase was not one to trust but Ken had ignored them stubbornly and he had paid dearly for that mistake. The scars on his back were a map of humiliation and betray, a tatoo that kept on reminding him that he shouldn't trust others. Ken had innocence, he could be naïve but he wasn't stupid, at least he had thought he wasn't. Kase had used his trust to ruin him and his family. The brunette winced and placed a shaky hand on Raisin's spotted coat. It was with that hand he had, had… Ken shook his head and pushed back the tears. No he wouldn't think about this now!

Yoji had his grin firmly placed on his lips when he glanced over to the petit blonde next to him. Who could hurt someone so defencless so badly? Omi looked so fragile and even though Yoji had only spoken to him once he could tell that the small blonde didn't have a mean bone in his body. What kind of bastard had put the fear and sadness in those big blue eyes? The lanky blonde wanted to know, why he had no idea though. He wondered if Omi suffered from nightmares too. With a sigh Yoji rolled himself a cigarette and lit it. The scars the lanky blonde had inside were probably diffrent than the ones most people had, or maybe they were the same? He had known love once. Once upon a time he had been happy but a careless action had ripped that love right from his hands. An innocent little bite was all it had taken. Yoji closed his green eyes and swallowed down the hurt and guilt. Two years ago he had shot his own girlfriend to death. Her face visited him every night and had forced him to seek comfort in other women's arms but it wasn't the same. Even when he had his body pressed to another's he still saw the manic look in her face, the foam that dripped from her mouth as she clawed away at her skin spotting the dirty floor with blood, her blood. And then the begging, the pained cries that pleaded him to shoot her, to take away the agony that raced through her sick body. A stray dog was to blame for the downfall of his love. A stray dog infected with rabies. Yoji straightened himself and willed away the memories. Again his trade marked grin slid into place. He was a playboy, women were drawn to him like bees to honey and he didn't have a care in the world. That was who he was… on the outside at least.

~TBC~

Okay I know Yoji is a bit weird here but when I wrote this I had just gone through a lot of pictures of him and it struck me how sad his eyes look a lot of times. I'll be honest I don't really like Yoji *hangs head in shame* But after seeing that sadness there I decided to rewrite his character completely. What's said about him in the first chapter still goes but this is his past. 

And if you haven't noticed it yet this will most likely turn into a Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi fic somewhere along the way. Usually I don't like to have more than one pairing but Yoji's sad green eyes in that pic *points* made me feel bad *sniffles* So I'm gonna try to get him together with poor Omi. Btw, Omi's uncle needs to have his kneecaps busted *grr* I hate ppl who hit children!!! *ARGH* Gomen I got carried away again didn't I? 

Keeshe : Updating fast is easy all you need is a lot of cigarettes, insomnia and twisted mind *L* I would be deadly slow on the updates if I ever got to sleep *grr* And thanks for you reviews *glomps* Ja/Atsureki


	4. Tension Among The Riders

The Pony Express

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC, more warnings in later chapters 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. 

Chapter 4. Tension Among The Riders

Tin-pot watched the four young men as they raced towards each other. Ken easily grabbed the bag Yoji held out and headed towards the small blonde. Omi worried Tin-pot. He was so skinny and his blue eyes shone with a fear that made the old man's inside shudder. But the old man could see strenght behind that fear and when he was on his horse there were no signs of uncertainty. Skillfully Omi took the bag and with a yell to his horse he got it to turn completely around and race up to Aya. Aya, the redhead was a weird man. No emotions slipped across his face, he didn't speak much and his eyes were so hard and cold. The only time Tin-pot had seen Aya act like a human was when he interacted with his white mare. Another prefect delivery of the bag took place and then the four riders came back to him. They were all alone, had no families except for Omi. But the small blonde didn't look like the family he had left cared about him so Tin-pot was willing to let it slide. He was satisfied with the way they rode and the only thing he had to make sure of now was that they could defend themselves. Ken and Yoji already wore guns but Omi and Aya were unarmed. He lead them away from the barn.  
"I need to check how good you are at shooting," he said calmly and pointed to the bottles he had lined up. "Don't worry if you don't hit them all." He waved Ken to him. The brunette drew his gun and with five shots he destroyed five bottles. Yoji followed him with the same result. Next one up was the cold redhead. He borrowed a gun from Tin-pot and hit three out of five bottles. "Do you own a gun?" Aya shook his head.  
"I don't like guns all that much," he shrugged.  
"Well grow to love them kid because you'll need them." A bland look was the only reaction he got. "Okay, Omi come here." Back on the ground the small blonde looked uncertain again. He took the gun from Aya and fiddled with it.  
"I've never…" he mumbled with shame.  
"Don't worry about it Omi, I'll teach you. Just do your best," Tin-pot said softly and backed away. With a small frown the little blonde aimed and fired. He hit nothing.  
"I'm sorry," he almost squeaked and coward infront of Tin-pot. So Omi was used to being hit when he failed. The old man shook his head. Punishment only caused more failure and it created people with no selfasteem. Well he would show Omi that he had nothing to fear from him! He smiled at the blonde and ruffled his hair, ignoring the way Omi flinched at being touched.  
"You should have seen the first time I handled a gun. I almost shot myself in the foot," Tin-pot grinned and took the gun back. "Are you used to any kind of weapon?" Omi had a confused look in his eyes.  
"Um yeah I… I like bows," he studdered.  
"Well then, keep using that and I'll help you with the guns, okay?" The blonde nodded and went back to the others. "Congratulations boys, you've just become riders for the Pony Express. You will be trained for about two weeks before I start putting you on deliveries. The salery is 50 dollars a month and you will make about two runs a week. Any questions?"  
"Yeah I have one," Yoji said. "But it ain't about being a rider." Tin-pot raised an eyebrow. "Well what is it then?"  
"I wanna know how good Omi is with his bow." The small blonde winced and nervously glanced at Yoji.  
"You up to showing us?" Omi's blue eyes turned to Tin-pot with hesitation.  
"S… sure."

Omi shook as he placed an arrow against the string on his bow. It wasn't the thought of shooting that worried him, it was the fact that Yoji was standing so close to him that they almost touched. The lanky blonde didn't seem to notice Omi's distress as he curiously observed his every move. He could feel the warmth from Yoji's body and he knew he was blushing. Swallowing hard he took a step to the side. He aimed carefully and released the arrow. With a low whistle it the target dead on.  
"Wow you're good at this kiddo," the lanky blonde grinned at him and made Omi blush even harder.  
"Th… thanks," he studdered and swallowed hard again. Why did he get so nervous when Yoji was so close? He wasn't scared like he usually was when others invaded his private space, this was something else and he didn't understand it.  
"Well you know how to aim so I don't think you'll need a lot of practise with guns," Tin-pot said and interrupted the awkward moment. Omi turned to the old man and forced a smile on his face. He liked Tin-pot and he wanted to trust him but it would take time. "I think it's time to take go down to the lake for a swim." The four boys looked at their employer.  
"Swim?" Aya asked with his monotone voice.  
"You've been sweating all day long and to be frank you all smell a little hm ripe." Ken chuckled and stretched his muscular body.  
"I think Tin-pot is right. Let's go!" Together they left the barn and followed Tin-pot. The lake wasn't big but it did look inviting. It was just april but the the sun was already hot. Yoji was the first one to strip and didn't seem to mind being naked around the others at all. Omi wasn't thrilled about the thought though. He hadn't forgotten how they had stared at him the last time. When Yoji walked into the water Ken shrugged and pulled off his shirt and pants too. Aya followed the lead and Tin-pot wasn't far behind. As soon as the other four men were busy with washing themselves Omi quickly pulled off his clothes and hurried into the lake where the water would cover up his beaten body.

Ken shivered from the cold water and growled inside as his eyes automaticly traveled over to Aya. Damn that man was a pain in the ass. His body so lean, pale and strong. Crimson locks of hair framed his beautiful face and made his amethyst eyes even more shining. Ken forced himself to look elsewhere. It would not be a good thing to stare at Aya like that, especially since they both were naked. To get rid of his dirty thoughts the brunette plunged head first into the chilly water. When he came up he wiped away his brown hair from his face and found himself under the scrutiny of Aya's cold eyes. Ken licked his lips and tried not to stare but it was impossible. Water dripped from the redhead's pale chest and his narrow hips just barely peeked up over the water. _Oh dear God,_ the brunette groaned inside. His body was reacting to what he saw and that was so not a good thing.

There was something about Ken that just drew Aya's eyes to him. He simply could not pull his eyes from that body and it annoyed him so much. The brunette looked good that much was obvious. He was strong, tanned and his deep brown eyes were warm and kind. Aya mentally slapped himself and frowned slightly. Why the hell was he almost drooling over that boy? He didn't understand and he couldn't stop himself either. That tanned muscular body looked firm and yet soft. The redhead swallowed. He wanted to touch Ken to see if he felt the way Aya thought he did. _The hell I do!_ he spat out to himself. _I don't like men, I don't like him! Now look the other way Fujimiya!_ But his violet gaze was still glued to Ken's body. He managed to pull up his eyes slightly and winced when he realized that he wasn't the only one who was staring. Chocolate eyes eyed him carefully. Suddenly they looked straight into each other's faces. Aya could have sworn that time stopped as he almost drowned in deep pools of coffee colored eyes. With all his will-power the redhead tore himself away. His mouth felt dry and his body tingled. Shaking slightly the redhead stalked further out into the lake to cool himself down.

After having spent almost a week being trained Tin-pot was even more sure he had picked out the right boys for the job. They all had bad sides but the good ones made up for it. The only problem he still had was Yoji's horse. The lanky blonde and the mean animal simply couldn't get alone and Tin-pot still hadn't been able to find another horse to replace it with. Yoji glared at Devil with dislike. He had already been kicked at several times that day and his patience was all but gone. Huffing he left the beast in the corall and lit a smoke. He hated to admit it but he was getting scared of his horse. The blonde started strolling around the barn to calm himself down. Never in his life had he felt fear for a horse but Devil was becoming dangerous. He rounded the barn and froze. Omi had just walked into the corall followed by his own horse. Yoji swallowed. He liked the blonde kid and certainly didn't want him killed by his psycho horse. To his surprise Omi didn't seem to be the least bit worried as he walked up to the black and white gelding. His lips were moving but Yoji couldn't hear what he was saying. Devil obviously did though since the long ears were directed towards the small blonde. Omi moved closer and held out his hand. Yoji wanted to yell out a warning but if he made too much noise he might scare Devil. His green eyes grew wide when he saw his horse walked up to the slender kid and gently lick his outstretched hand. _What the fuck? _Omi smiled at the beast and gave him a few kind pats before he turned around and walked out, closing the gate behind him.  
"How did you managed that?" Yoji asked and saw how the small blonde winced at the sound of his voice. It hurt to see how scared Omi was of him.  
"I… I… think your horse has been beaten… that's why um he doesn't trust you," Omi stammered and played with his shirt. The lanky blonde raised an eyebrow. He had never thought about that but it made sense.  
"Hm but when I try to be nice to him he just kicks or bites me. Why didn't he do that to you?" A small smile caressed Omi's face.  
"It was probably a man who hit him and I'm too small to be a real threat I guess. Just talk to him, let him get to know your voice. You yell too much and that just makes it worse," the little blonde said and seemed to shrink when he realized what he had blurted out. "I'm… I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"  
"Hey kiddo it's okay. I do yell a lot, don't I?" Yoji smiled warmly. Without thinking he placed an arm around Omi's shoulders. "But I'll try to stop doing that, okay?" He could feel the lithe body tense but decided to ignore it. "I think it's time for supper now." Omi nodded a little and Yoji started walking towards the house, still with his arm around the small blonde's shoulders. He was determined to prove that he was no danger, because he really liked Omi. He was so kind and innocent. Once Yoji had been like that too and it felt like he got some of that back when he was close to the little blonde. Most of the bruises on that child-like face had faded and the sun had given the smooth skin a touch of gold. It was that face, the petit body and those huge blue eyes that fooled others into thinking that Omi was just a child. Sure he was five years younger than Yoji but he was not a kid.

Ken growled as he lifted yet another heavy sack of oats and headed for the waggon. Why the hell did he have to do this? Annoyed he glared over at the redhead who stalked towards him with a small crate. Well that sure looked heavy! Ken fumed and threw the sack onto the waggon.  
"You know you could help me," he muttered darkly and glared harder. Since the embarrassing incident in the lake Aya had barely said two words to him.  
"Hn." That word, sound or whatever the hell it was Ken was very used to hearing.  
"Jerk!" the brunette snorted and went to pick up the next sack. To his surprise Aya beat him to it. The bland face was kept away from him as the redhead swayed under the weight.  
"Idiot," the taller man said sweetly as he walked past him. Ken raised an eyebrow. Aya was in for another fight if he didn't watch it! The brunette already had enough problems with keeping himself in check around him.  
"I love you too Aya," he drawled and untied the horses. Amethyst eyes bore into his shining with danger. "Oh knock it off! So you don't like me, tough luck Aya! Stop being such a bastard about it already!"  
"You don't know anything about me or what I like, Ken." The brunette frowned.  
"No I don't and you being the way you are, fat chance I'll ever get to know anything about you either," he muttered and took a seat. "Are you coming or what?" The redhead was staring at him with a rather confused look in his stoic face. "What is it now?" He didn't get an answer but then he hadn't really expected one. Ken sighed. What was it about him that rubbed Aya the wrong way so badly? The redhead sat down beside him on the narrow seat and unintentionally pressed their thighs together. _Damn,_ Ken cursed inside, _does he even know what he's doing to me?_ He was attracted to that cold bastard and he had no clue to why. The fact that he was interested in another man was nothing new to Ken but that didn't mean he liked it any better. He had already paid for the perversion he held towards his own sex once and was not eager to do so again. Growling he smacked his lips to the horses. With a jerk they rolled away from the store. Aya moved around on the seat and was seriously starting to annoy Ken.  
"Would you sit still!" he snapped. The redhead gave him a look of slight shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that I'm um just in a bad mood." _Nice cover Ken,_ he sighed to himself, _Aya's right you are an idiot._  
"Hn." Ken rolled his eyes. He couldn't wait until they started making delieveries so that he could get away from Aya before he did something stupid.

~TBC~

Hm I made a mistake with Omi's age in the second chapter, he's 17 here not 16 *grr* And I know these four chapters have been real lame but next one we will have some action *yay* Eh no not that kind of actions you hentais! *L* I means the other kind the one without lemons *LOL*

I have noticed that this fic isn't all that well liked *frowns slightly* But I will continue it for now because I enjoy writing on it so there… But a huge thank you to those of you who are reading and reviewing! Ja/Atsureki


	5. Frustration

Weiß Reiter (White Riders)

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC, more warnings in later chapters 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. Changed the name of this fic because The Pony Express sounded so darn lame *nods* 

Chapter 5. Frustration

Ran was glad that Ken had gotten the first run. The brunette was just too much for him to handle. Every second he spent near that boy was a second where the redhead didn't have complete control over himself, and that was something he hated. During the two weeks that had past since they all met each and every one of them had changed, some in a good way others in a bad way. Ken smiled more and more, unless Aya was close, Omi seemed to have relaxed slighty and was really fighting to be able to trust them a little. Yoji on the other hand just got worse and worse. The lanky blonde was lazy and was always late when they had work to do. Most nights he returned to the station drunk and stinking of perfume and sex. And Ran? The redhead had changed too and not exactly in a good way. He was constantly scowling at everybody and everything, if anyone got something other than 'Aa' or 'Hn' from him they were so lucky. His face was locked in a callous mask that nothing got through unless he became angry which happened more and more often. 9 times out of 10 the one who triggered his anger was Ken. It wasn't fair and Ran knew it but it was impossible for him to relax with the brunette close to him. The tension between them was thick enough to cut through and Ran was more than well aware of the fact that that tension was sexual. He just didn't understand what the hell was going on. Since when was he insterested others? Not to mention that Ken was a male, not a female. It was wrong and utterly confusing but so help him God, Ran wanted that strong, tanned body pressed against his. Annoyed with himself the redhead attacked his saddle with the cloth in his hand. He wasn't going to give into this, he refused to. There was no way in hell he was going to scratch that itch he had. Ran sighed deeply. If he was so sure about that then how come his eyes followed Ken everywhere?

"Rider coming in," Yoji's lazy voice announced. Brown, blue and amethyst eyes looked towards the road leading up to the station. A cloud of dust was the only thing they could see so far but they all knew what it meant. Quickly Ken jumped into the saddle and turned his horse in the right direction. His body was tense and ready for his first delivery. A young man on a bay horse raced towards him with the familier mail bag in his outstretched hand. With a yell Ken got Raisin moving. They two riders almost colided as the bag shifted carriers. The brunette let out another yell and stormed away along the dusty road. His spotted companion was going at full capacity and the strong muscles shivered in joy. Ken hunched over Raisin's strong neck and felt the wind play in his hair. This was life, just him, his horse and the wind. He was finally being given a break from the stress that had been forced upon him for two weeks. With a smirk on his tanned face the brunette moved his hand to the right, informing Raisin that they should go left. His horse turned in the direction its owner pointed out and kept on racing. Raisin was a strong horse and he could go for some time at that pace but not forever. Ken sank down in the saddle and slowed down the tempo, he wasn't really in such a hurry. He had several hours of riding infront of him and it would be dark once he reached Colorado Springs.

Omi looked up just in time to catch a sight of a rider coming in. The boy glanced to his right and saw that Yoji was ready. Devil shivered from excitement as the lanky blonde pushed his hat further down.  
"See you in a few days Omi," he grinned and leaned forward so he could grab the bag Ken would pass on to him. The brunette stormed towards Yoji with his hand streched out. Quickly the bags shifted hands and then the blonde was gone. Dusty and sweaty Ken jumped off his horse and wiped his face. Omi frowned slightly when he saw the bruises that were miscoloring the tanned skin.  
"Damn it's hot here," Ken muttered sourly and pulled the heavy saddle from Raisin's strong back. "I think I've eaten a ton of dust!" The brunette placed the saddle on the ground and lead his horse towards the corall. "You wanna go for a swim?"  
"Huh? Oh a swim, sure. I'll ask Aya if he wants to come too," Omi answered absently and almost missed the scowl on the brunette's face.  
"Oh joy," he growled and again wiped his face. "Bring the Ice Prince, that way we'll make sure the water stays cool enough!" The small blonde raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. There was something going on between Aya and Ken and he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Sparks seemed to fly whenever they were close and there were always the possibility of a fight breaking out.

Ken snarled to himself. God damn how his body hurt and it had nothing to do with all the riding. He had barely touched ground in Colorado Springs before he had gotten himself into a fight. All the frustration he carried inside had almost driven him insane and the long, hot, sweaty ride had done nothing to sooth him despite the promising start. It was all that damn redhead's fault for being so fucking beautiful and completely out of reach. Why did he have to feel a so strong attraction to Aya? It just wasn't fair! Ken pouted to himself and grabbed some clean clothes before he headed back outside again. Omi and the redhead were already waiting for him. The idead of having to see Aya naked again was a torn in his side but what could he do? He dragged his feet as he floowed his to friends towards the lake. How long before the redhead noticed what he was thinking? Ken's mind filled up with images of Aya hovering over him, eyes shining with lust and love as their sweaty bodies grinded together. _Stop that!_ he ordered himself and growled. This was not the time to be thinking about that sort of thing. His body was already under enough pressure as it was. It would only need the smallest reason to act on its desire and that would be embarrassing.  
"Omi?" They all turned around at the sound of Clair's voice. Of the five people that lived around the small blonde she was the one Omi seemed most comfortable with.  
"You two go ahead," the petit blonde smiled and went skipping towards the young woman. It was amazing to see how Omi was when the fear and uncertainty vanished from his young face. Ken smiled. The youngest of the four boys was very energetic and filled with smiles when he wasn't so busy with being afraid of everybody. In the corner of his eyes the brunette saw how Aya watched him. Frowning slightly he turned ot the redhead.  
"Well let's go then, shall we?"  
"Aa," Aya agreed and started walking again. Aa was the same as yeah, that much Ken had learnt to understand at least. Together they reached the lake and then nothing happened for a while. Both of them seemed to be hesitating about taking their clothes off. This is stupid, Ken muttered but he made no move to get undressed. Finally it was the redhead who went first. He took off his shirt and started working on the belt in his pants. Ken just couldn't help but admiring the strong pale chest that was before his eyes. Aya's broad back was turned against him and that was in no way any less interesting to look at. If he just could touch that fair skin, taste it, own it… The brunette pulled the brakes on his thoughts when he realized that Aya was staring at him with narrowed eyes.  
"Just what are you staring at?!" his deep smooth voice demanded to know.  
"Nothing, nothing at all," Ken muttered and really wanted to wipe his mouth just to make sure he wasn't drooling.  
"Then stop staring at nothing in my direction!" the redhead snapped with ice lacing his voice.  
"It's a free country you know! It's not like I was looking at you!" That was a lie but Ken would rather rot in hell than admitt that he had been checking out his friend.  
"Idiot!" Just as every time Aya called him that the brunette's temper flared.  
"I'm might be an idiot but at least I don't have a ten foot pole shoved up my ass!" A flash of rage appeared in amethyst eyes but Ken couldn't stop. "You think you're so high and mighty don't you? Always acting like we don't matter to you at all." His voice was hard, provoking and it obviously hit all the right buttons because as soon as the words died out Aya lashed out. His slender fingers grabbed Ken's shirt and threw him to the ground. With a low growl the brunette shot back up on his feet and took a swing at the redhead. They were fighting with a passion but not really hurting each other, not a single blow reached its goal. Suddenly Ken tripped over the small pile of clothes next to him and grabbed a hold of Aya's arm to keep himself up. He caught the other boy by surprise and they both tumbled to the ground.

The redhead stared into brown eyes as his chest heaved. He was more or less lying ontop of Ken and the warmth from that body made his heart pound like a drum. The masculine smell of sweat, dust, horses and leather filled Aya's nose and made his head spin. This was what he wanted, to have Ken pinned to the ground close enough so that he could ravage those soft lips. He just couldn't help himself as he slowly leaned forward. Their noses almost touched and their breaths mixed. Aya felt as if time had stopped, nothing penetrated the dream-like state he was in. There were no other sounds than ragged breaths and fast heartsbeats. Not really knowing what he was doing the redhead tilted his head to the left and pressed his lips against Ken's. The kiss was hard, demanding and it deepened fast. Some part of him warned him about the consequences but he ignored it. Ken was responding, kissing back in the same manner. Aya's tongue darted out and he had barely touched the brunette's lips before he was given access. He slid inside the slightly shorter man's mouth and spun at the feeling and taste. Ken tasted just as he had imagined he would, sweet but masculine. His lips hurt from the force behind the kiss but he didn't care, he just wanted to taste more, feel more. Unfortunately his brain was catching up to him. Shocked by his actions Aya pushed himself away from the brunette and fled. What the hell had he done? Okay so Ken had answered the kiss but still. _Calm down,_ he mumbled in his head, _I just got carried away because of the fight. It meant nothing and it will never happen again!_ But he wanted it to happen again and it had meant everything. Cursing in Japanese the redhead stiffly stalked back to the barack.

Yoji slowed down his horse and reached for his cantine. The dust in his throat threatened to sufficate him, he really should have covered his mouth. Annoyed and sweating like a pig the lanky blonde gulped down some water before he stretched. A snort from Devil made him look up and to the left. Four riders were approaching him fast. Yoji frowned slightly and earged his horse to move faster.  
"Hey boy!" one of the four men called out. The lanky blonde turned around and gave him a lazy look but he didn't answer. "Hey, I'm talking you!" Yoji tensed and put his hand over his gun. This was trouble, he could feel it. The man who had spoken to him placed his horse infront of Devil and stopped. "You're one of those Pony Express riders huh?"  
"So?" Yoji drawled and tried to move around him.  
"Not so fast!" Something cold pressed against the blonde's side. "It's hot so why don't you allow me to lessed the burden for that ugly horse of yours?" The man was tall, big, dirty and smelled badly.  
"It's not that hot," Yoji muttered but he didn't move.  
"You're a real pretty boy aren't you?" the man chuckled and snatched the bag away.  
"Hey we can't all be ugly pigs like you," Yoji snorted and narrowed his green eyes. There was no way in hell he was going to lose that bag on his first run. Without really thinking he gave Devil a kick that sent the massive animal crashing in to the man's smaller horse. The gun in his side disappeared and Yoji drew his own pointing it at the ugly man. "Hand the bag over!" He got it back and carefully moved his horse around the man. "Don't mess with the Pony Express!" Yoji fired a shot and dug his heels into Devil's sides. The huge black and white gelding heaved itself forward as the blonde almost pressed his face into its mane. Another shot was heard and he felt pain flash through his side. _Fuck, fuck, fuck,_ Yoji chanted and ordered more speed from Devil. He was bleeding like a stuck pig but he didn't dare to slow down to check how bad it was. Quickly he turned completely around and raced back towards the station. He would never be able to finish his delivery in that state. His vision was already starting to get blurry and he had a hard time staying put in the saddle.

~TBC~

So Aya and Ken got some hm action on there ne? *chuckles* And poor Yoji got shot! I hope he makes it back to the station. Devil take your owner home okay? Ja/Atsureki


	6. Complications And Rewards

Weiß Reiter (White Riders)

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC, overusing of the word Hell *L* more warnings in later chapters 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. 

Chapter 6. Complications And Rewards

__

What the hell was that? Ken wondered as he tried to convince himself to get up from the ground. Aya had kissed him and he had responded. Responded? Hell he had been sucking on the redhead's tongue. Ken moaned and shook his head. _Nice going Ken! How the hell are you going to explain this?_ But he wasn't the only one who had been involved. Aya had started the kiss, he was the one who had deepened it and introduced his tongue to it. Maybe the silent redhead felt the same?  
"Yeah keep dreaming," the brunette sighed to himself. Aya had bolted which only could mean that he was disgusted and wished that it never had happened. Ken hugged himself and sighed deeply. How the hell was he suppose to live with the redhead now? What he felt towards Aya was very strong and most of it was raw lust but there was something else too, something Ken rather not feel. With another deep sigh he stumbled to his feet and got undress. Maybe the cool water could help him get rid of his problems? _Yeah and then there's gonna start growing corn out of my ass,_ the brunette thought sourly. He was falling for Aya, that was the ugly harsh unwanted truth. It was never a good idea to fall in love with people you work with but that wasn't Ken's problem. The brunette groaned and let himself disappeared under the water for a while. Aya was a man and so was he. Talk about a doomed relationship.

Omi frowned and observed the redhead who was attacking his pillow viciously. If the small blonde hadn't known it was a pillow he would have thought it was his biggest enemy. Aya was so caught up in his pounding that he hadn't even noticed that he wasn't alone. Something had happened with Ken, that much Omi understood but what? The redhead had returned, still dry but covered in dust and he had looked… haunted. Perhaps they had just had another fight? Omi shook his head. No, fighting with Ken made Aya angry, this was something completely diffrent. When the redhead was angry his bland mask grew cold but when he had returned from the lake the mask had been missing. Aya's face had looked scared, flushed and utterly confused. The small blonde chewed on his lip and quietly left the barrack. Ken was apparently still at the lake, either swimming or lying dead on the ground. Omi smiled slightly and shook his head. No the redhead would never kill Ken. He really like the three boys he worked with even if Aya sometimes scared him with his coldness and Yoji… Yoji. The blonde pouted. The lanky playboy confused him so much. He was always touching him, standing so close and Omi just didn't understand why. At first it had scared him but there was nothing cruel or evil in Yoji, that was something he was sure of. So why did his heart beat faster when the older man was near him? He felt safe with Yoji, he felt safe with Ken too but it wasn't the same thing. The brunette felt like an older brother while the blonde felt like… He frowned with annoyance. Exactly what was it he felt when he was with Yoji? Omi gritted his teeth and decided to drop the subject. He headed for the corall and softly call Daisy over to him. She came up to him and rubbed his chest with her nose.  
"How are you girl?" Omi asked softly and caressed his friend. The mare let out a soft snort and playfully nipped at his shirt. "No eating me! Try this instead." He smiled and picked up some suger from his pocket. Daisy was just about to take it when she suddenly swirled around and stared down the road leading away from the station. "What's wrong?" Omi asked and follwed her eyes. There was a horse running towards them and he would recognize its ugly black and white face anywhere. "Devil?" The gelding skidded to a stop just beside the small blonde and seemed nervous. It took Omi a few moments before he grasped what was so wrong with the picture. "Where's Yoji?" he mumbled to the animal who side-stepped at the sound of his voice. Devil was known for throwing the blonde off every now and then, or rubbing him off against a tree if he could find one, but he had never left his fallen rider behind before. Concerned he mounted the gelding and turned him around. He had to find Yoji in case the blonde was hurt. Omi got Devil moving and raced down the road where the lanky blonde had disappeared just a few hours ago.

Ken reluctlanty walked back to the barrack with his dirty clothes in his arms. He didn't want to face Aya again but he knew he would have to. Things were gonna become damn freaky after their little spaz by the lake. The brunette sighed deeply and rubbed his face. Why did he have to be like that? It was so damn unfair that women did nothing for him. Pouting he appraoched the barracks and stopped at the door. He had tried so many times but females just didn't ring his bells, float his boat, whatever… What he wanted and needed was someone strong, someone who could make him feel safe and a girl just didn't cut it. Huffing he opened the door and walked in. His eyes landed on a pale face and he couldn't help but let out a groan. Great, just great, Aya was staring at him like he was some damn rattlesnake about to kill him. Feeling completely deflated Ken walked over to his bed and crashed down on it, buring his face in the hard pillow. _Go away Aya,_ he begged. _Just vanish from the face of the earth, please._ No such luck of course. Carefully he raised his head and looked up. The redhead was still staring at him with a strange expression in his beautiful face.  
"Just kill me and get over with it," Ken muttered darkly, closed his eyes and flipped over onto his back. At the moment being killed by Aya actually seemed like a pretty damn good idea. When he opened his eyes again he found himself staring straight into the redhead's amethyst orbs. "Here use the pillow, you can smother me with it," the brunette sighed and handed his pillow to the silent man. Aya didn't say anything and he didn't move, he just kept on staring. _Well this is awkward,_ Ken thought with sarcasm and returned the stare.  
"Why did you kiss me?" the redhead suddenly asked.  
"What do you mean why?" Ken decided not to meantion the fact that it was the redhead who had kissed him not the other way around. Aya scowled mildly.  
"I'm a man Ken, why did you kiss me?" The brunette bit his lip and frowned. _Oh well, might as well tell the truth,_ he figured.  
"Because I'm a fucking freak and I'm attracted to you, that's why," Ken answered harshly.  
"Attracted? In what way?" _Oh God! He is not going to make this easy,_ the brunette groaned inside.  
"As in I want to touch you and… and…" His voice trailed off not sure how to explain.  
"Go to bed with me?" Aya suggested softly. Ken's eyes widened. What the hell was that? Aya never talked that softly to anyone except his horse.  
"I… Um… Eh… Yeah."  
"Ken I…"  
"…think that's disgusting and perverted and so one," Ken filled in and rolled his eyes. "Listen Aya, just forget it ever happened. I'll stay away from you and I already know you'll do the same. I promise I won't jump you or take advantage of you while you sleep," he added, rose from the bed and brushed past the redhead.

Aya stared after the brunette completely dumbfound. What the hell had just happned? Ken had never let him say what he wanted.  
"…want that too," the redhead finished lamely to himself and sighed. He didn't know what shocked him more, the fact that Ken wanted to sleep with him, the fact that he wanted it too or the fact that he actually admitted to it. Aya sat down on the brunette's bed and shook his head. This was not suppose to happen, he was only there to earn enough money to get his precious revenge but all of the sudden it didn't seem as importan as before. He wanted Ken, wrong as it may be, he wanted to possess that body, feel it, taste it, own it. "Fuck!" he exclaimed and then winced at his choice of word. What the hell was he suppose to do now? He had two options as far as he could tell. Either he could do what Ken had said and just stay the fuck away from him or he could fight for what he wanted. Whichever he decided to do it was going to be hell and then some. _Don't just jump into somethingt right now Fujimiya,_ he growled to himself. _Think it through carefully or you'll end up… heartbroken?_ Aya widened his eyes. Heartbroken? "Oh dear God," he moaned and rubbed his aching head. Not only did he lust after Ken, he was falling for him. Life really had a seriously fucked up sense of humour and Aya didn't like it one bit!

Devil stopped and seemed unsure of where to go next. Omi patted the gelding on its neck and looked around.  
"Come on Devil, where's your master?" The horse turned its ears towards the sound but didn't move. Omi bit his lip. He had to find Yoji fast, he had a gut feeling that the lanky blonde was in serious trouble. "Where's Yoji?" Gently he tightened his legs and got Devil moving again but he didn't indicate any direction. The gelding hesitated for a moment before it started moving more confidently. Omi asked for more speed and got it immediately. It was kind of strange to ride a horse so big but the small blonde had been riding most of his life. He probably should be scared since Devil wasn't exactly trustworthy but for some reason Omi felt as if he could put his life into the black and white gelding's hoofs. It didn't take very long before blue eyes landed on a curled up form on the ground. "Yoji!" Devil almost skidded to a stop and Omi was down on the ground in an instant. The small blonde fell to his knees beside his friend and carefully flipped him over. Yoji was bleeding badly. "Shit! Yoji you're going to have to wake up, I can't carry you," Omi begged.  
"Omi?" the lanky blonde slurred and tried to open his eyes.  
"Yes it's me Yoji. Are you okay?" _Great question Omi, you dumb idiot! Of course he's not okay!_  
"Eh no. It hurts," the older boy croaked out and clutched his wounded side.  
"Think you can stand up? I can't get you on the horse without your help."  
"Where am I?" Omi stared at him in confusion. He was too scared to think straight.  
"O… on the ground," he answered with hesitation.  
"Oh. Explained the stone riding up my butt then," Yoji joked weakly. "Okay I need a little help to get up but…" Omi nodded and together they managed to get the lanky blonde to his feet. "Oh Jesus fuck that hurts! I'm bleeding like a stuck pig!" The smaller blonde trembled but ripped his shirt off to try to stop the bleeding.  
"You're gonna have to ride Devil back to the station."  
"Oh joy. Wait… How did you find me?" Yoji asked with a confused look in his green eyes.  
"Devil came to get me." Suddenly the playboy's face softened and he gently reached out to caress his horse.  
"Thanks my friend, I think you saved my fucking life." Devil let out a soft snort and carefully rubbed his huge head against his owner. "Hey, hey take it easy. I'm seriously hurt here you know," Yoji whined. With a lot of pain, effort and groans Omi managed to get the lanky blonde into the saddle.  
"You okay?"  
"No… I think I'm gonna pass out Omi," Yoji answered through clenched teeth. His face completely white and wet from sweat. The little blonde took his seat behind his friend and wrapped one of his slender arms around his waist.  
"I'll try to hold you in place but your so much bigger than me," Omi mumbled and felt how Yoji leaned against him.  
"Just do your best. And remind me to kiss you if I survive this." The petit blonde's face grew crimson at that. Carefully he got Devil moving and headed back to the station hoping and praying that Yoji would be okay so that he could get his reward.

~TBC~

Why didn't anyone teach Ken that it's rude to interrupt ppl *sighs* Aya wants the same for crying out loud!!! Um and they're falling for each other *chuckles* GOOO AYA AND KENKEN!!! And poor Omi is all confused and stuff but at least Yoji promised him a kiss *hehe*Ja/Atsureki


	7. Kisses

Weiß Reiter (White Riders)

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC.

Pairings : Aya/Ken, Yoji/Omi 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. 

This chapter is for fei cause well she asked for a new one and managed to break my writer's block! *S* Here you go girl *gomps* Thanks!

Chapter 7. Kisses

Omi wasn't sure how he had managed to get the lanky blonde back to the station but he had done it somehow. Tin-pot had seen them coming and had immediately sent Ken to get a doctor before he helped the little blonde carry Yoji into the barack. After the doctor had removed the bullet and cleaned the wound he had instructed Omi to keep the tall blonde in bed and he got no objections. That was two days ago and the youngest rider hadn't left his friend's side except when he was forced to. He didn't really understand why he had such a strong need to be with Yoji and he decided not to ponder over it at the moment. The lanky blonde needed him and there was nothing that would tear him away from his side. Yoji didn't talk much and most of the time he seemed to be sleeping.  
"Omi?" The young blonde straightened up and turned to his friend.  
"Yes?"  
"Just checking if you were still here," Yoji mumbled with his eyes close. "I never did thank you for saving my worthless ass." Omi frowned and took a seat on the bed.  
"No need to thank me and you are not worthless!" A green eyes opened slightly and looked at him.  
"You have no idea how low I am," the older blonde huffed. "I'm scum Omi all I do is smoke, drink and... well you know."  
"Oh stop it!" Omi muttered with more fire than he had ever held in his voice before. "I've seen the sadness and hurt in your eyes Yoji. Whatever it is that you think makes you so low I'm willing to bet that you have a reason for doing those things. We all have scars and we need to learn to live with them. At least your not afraid of your own shadow." Yoji opened both his eyes to look at his friend and frown slightly.  
"Can I ask you something Omi?" The little blonde nodded. "Who… who beat you so badly?" Omi shuddered and lowered his eyes to the floor. He had never talked about that but for some reason he didn't feel awkward about telling Yoji the truth.  
"My uncle. I don't know why but he hates me, really hates me. It didn't matter what I did, he always found something to beat me up about. Glasses that weren't shiny enough, whiskey that wasn't diluted enough, floors that weren't clean enough… No matter how hard I tried it was never good enough for him," Omi answered almost absently. "He's all the family I got and he hates me." That was always what hurt the most. It had never been the beatings but always the fact that his uncle hated him. "I can never do anything right." Slowly Yoji pushed himself up and leaned against the headboard of his bed.  
"That's a load of crap!" the older boy said firmly and placed his hand on Omi's thigh. "There will always be people in your life who wants to make you feel like you're not worth anything, you just have to learn not to listen to them."  
"Take your own advice then Yoji and don't listen to yourself when you say that you're worthless," the smaller blonde said softly. Yoji laughed slightly and nodded.  
"I suppose you do have a point there huh? By the way… don't I owe you something?" Omi blinked.  
"Owe me what?"  
"I believe I said I would kiss you if you got me here, which you did." Blue eyes widened and locked with green. Yoji didn't allow him to say anything as he pulled Omi closer. "Trust me baby I don't bite." The lanky blonde carefully covered the younger boy's lips with his. Omi had never been kissed before but he immediately understood what the fuss was about. The kiss was soft but firm and he responded to it even though he did really know what he was doing. Yoji traced the contours of his friend's lip with his tongue before he pulled away. Slowly the lanky blonde licked his lips and smiled softly. "If I get to do that every time I get shot I think I need to get shot again." Omi stared still completely taken aback by the kiss. He had never felt anything like that before, never tasted anything like Yoji. The older boy tasted mildly of tobacco but even more so he tasted masculine and it had felt so right.  
"I… it…" Omi stammered and swallowed. A soft hand caressed his hair.  
"I'm a bad man Omi, you know that so be honest when you answer this question…" Yoji paused for a moment. "Would you mind if I did that again?" The little blonde stared completely shocked. Did he want Yoji to kiss him again? The answer was ringing clear inside his head.  
"N… not at all." Omi had seen the tall blonde smile, smirk and grin several times but never as tenderly as when he smiled before pulling him in for another kiss.  
"Good," Yoji mumbled before their lips connected again.

Ken scowled as he stalked away from the barn. For two days Aya had been avoiding him and it was getting to him. Okay so he had expected it but it still hurt. The callous redhead didn't seem to suffer at all which didn't make it any easier on Ken. Annoyed he decided to go for a swim. He needed to cool himself down before he took a swing at someone. Muttering curses underneath his breath the brunette headed for the lake. Life wasn't fair, that he already knew but wasn't this taking it a bit too far? Ken sighed deeply and froze dead in his tracks. There was already some at the lake. Someone naked. The brunette rubbed his face and groaned. The sun was setting and its last rays played over alabaster skin and crimson hair as Aya made his way into the water. He was in no hurry and obviously not aware of the fact that he no longer was alone. Ken couldn't move, hell he couldn't even breathe. The silent redhead was absolutely stunning in all his naked glory. Slowly he turned around and met the brunette's eyes. He didn't say anything but he smiled. Aya smiled?! Ken blinked and shook his head. He was seeing things for sure! Drawn by some force he didn't understand the slightly shorter man walked closer and met the redhead at the edge of the water. He wanted to taste those lips again, he just didn't know how to get a chance but Aya seemed to be one step ahead of him. A pale hand was placed on the back of his head and pulled his face closer.  
"Aya… I…" Ken studdered utterly confused.  
"Shut up," the redhead commanded softly and brushed his lips over the brunette's. "You want this, you told me so yourself." Again their lips met but it wasn't soft anymore. Just like their first kiss this one was hard, demanding and they fought for dominance. They were pretty much equal and it might have been a draw if Aya hadn't had his fingers intwinded in Ken's hair. By pulling at the brown strands he forced the brunette's head back so that he could take controle of the kiss. When his teeth carefully nipped at Ken's bottom lip the shorter man gave up and allowed the redhead access to his mouth not mourning the fact that he had lost the little war at all.

His head spun as he explored the warm soft mouth with his tongue. Ken tasted just as he remembered. It was heaven to kiss the brunette and this time he wouldn't make the mistake of running away. Aya deepened the kiss further and pulled the firm body against his, desperate for more. He had no idea how far he could take things, how much he was ready for but he ignored it. His body told him that it was right and he was not about to argue with it. A low moan escaped from Ken and he swallowed it hungerly wanting so much more. He had kissed a few girls but this was something completely diffrent. Girls were fragile but the brunette was a man and so much stronger and robust. Without caring about the consequences Aya's hands began stripping Ken from his clothes. He needed to feel that tanned skin against his more than he needed his next breath of air. The brunette's shirt fell to the ground and they pressed against each other. For a second they broke apart to breathe. Aya paitently waited for Ken to make the next move and he wasn't disappointed. The shorter man made contact between their lips once again and asked for entrance which Aya was more then willing to give him. He wanted more, much more but his brain was pulling the breaks. The redhead didn't exactly know how this was suppose to work and he wanted something else than just a quick lay. Ken meant more to him than that. Reluctlantly he pulled away but he didn't let go of the hold he had on the brunette. Confused brown eyes looked at him.  
"Why…" Aya smiled softly and stroke away a few chocolate strands from Ken's flushed face.  
"There's no rush," he said quietly and let his fingers roam over the tanned skin. "Let's go for a swim." The brunette nodded and fumbled with his pants. Aya swallowed well aware of the fact that his body showed his exitement. What did it matter? He had felt that Ken was in the same state as he was so why worry about that? When the brunette had managed to get rid of the last pieces of clothing Aya took his hand and together they walked into the cool water.  
"Wh… what's this about Aya?" Ken asked slowly and glanced at the taller boy.  
"If you hadn't been so quick the other day I would have told you that I feel the same way." The brunette stared.  
"You…. What?"  
"Come on Ken I know you're not stupid," Aya mumbled and lowered his body into the water. "I don't know where this is heading but I want to be there for the ride. There's something between us and we both know it, we can both feel it." His fellow rider nodded and frowned slightly.  
"You do realize that this is wrong, don't you?" Aya raised and eyebrow and stood up again.  
"Wrong?"  
"Aya… I know you've never done anything like this before but I have and I…" Ken trailed off and without thinking one of his hands started rubbing the scars on his back. "People don't understand, it goes against what the bible talks about." Aya widened his eyes. So that's how he had gotten those scars.  
"They whipped you for being with another man?" The brunette bit his lip and avoided making eye contact.  
"Kase, he was my friend, I thought he loved me but he… he used me and then he told the whole town about how sick I was. They caught me before I could get away and Kase whipped me, almost killed me." Aya shook his head and winced when he saw the hurt and the tears in Ken's eyes. How could someone be so cruel?  
"I'm sorry Ken." Carefully he pulled the brunette into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Doesn't the bible teach us to love each other no matter what?" the redhead mumbled against Ken's hair while his soft fingers drew patterns across the scarred skin on the brunette's back.

Yoji carefully stretched his muscles and hissed in pain. That damn wound was a bitch! A little confused he realized that he was holding someone. He smiled when his eyes landed on a mop of blonde hair. _Omi,_ the lanky boy thought to himself and his eyes softened. Maybe Omi was what he needed in his life. The younger boy would never take advantage of him and he would never let him down because that wasn't the kind of person the small blonde was. Besides, He wanted to take care of Omi, keep him safe, love him… Green eyes narrowed slightly. When the hell had that happened? Yoji shrugged slightly. It didn't really matter his life was so fucked up anyway. Not to meantion the fact that he needed Omi in a way he couldn't quite understand. With the petit blonde he could be the person he really was and he would never be judge for it. Omi wasn't after his body, he didn't demand anything from him and he most certainly never would use him simply because he could. No the blonde boy would give without asking for anything in return and Yoji would make sure he got everything he wanted and needed, Omi deserved that and so much more. Satisfied with the head that rested on his chest the lanky playboy closed his eyes again. _You were right Omi we all do have scars but maybe we can help each other to heal._ Life was handing him a chance on a silver plate and Yoji was going to grab it with both hands because he needed it, wanted it. Omi was his exact opposite and he needed to be protected which meant that the taller blonde would again have someone to care about, someone who needed him. He hadn't had that since… her. It still hurt to think about her but the pain would lessen, he could feel it. Even if Omi didn't want him in the same way he wanted the small blonde they would be friends and that was more than Yoji deserved, at least in his own mind. Carefully he snuggled closer to the slender body and sighed contently. _I could fall in love with you Omi and I just hope you'll let me. Please let me love you,_ Yoji begged inside as he drifted back to sleep.

~TBC~

Bravo Aya! Don't let him go now, you have him right were you want him. And Yoji and Omi are moving along nicely too. *chuckles* Sweet little Omi will take good care of Yoji *nods* I hope everyone has noticed the diffrences between the two couples. Aya and Ken have their passion burning brightly and tend to 'fight' to be in controle while Yoji and Omi takes it slow and easy. Why? Well Omi needs security and Yoji needs to be allowed to take care of someone. The attraction between them is very diffrent. But I'm sure you all already picked up on that ne? Oh and I know this chapter doesn't have anything in it that follows the fact that this is set back in 1860 but that will change in the next one. We're getting some action (um not the lemon kind, at least not that I know of) in that one. Ja/Atsureki


	8. Good Things, Bad Things

Weiß Reiter (White Riders)

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC.

Pairings : Aya/Ken, Yoji/Omi 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. 

Yet again fei has awaken my muse *scratches head* How do you do that fei? You just ask for another chapter and suddenly I find myself writing one? *laughs* Keept up please because this fic is giving me probs!

This chapter is mostly focused on Ran and Ken but there'll be more Yoji/Omi in the next one. And please remember that here Ken's last name is Higgins not Hidaka.

Chapter 8. Good Things, Bad Things

Ken frowned deeply and glared at the tall redhead. It had been two days since their little 'incident' at the lake and he just didn't get it. Of course he understood that Aya couldn't hug him or kiss him when the others were around but the silent redhead treated him like he didn't even exist and it hurt. Some part of him had hoped that Aya at least would have made some attempt at getting him alone but nothing had happened. Maybe he had realized what they were doing? Maybe he finally understood how sick Ken was? The brunette winced and lowered his eyes to the sack of oats he was suppose to carry inside the barn. Well if that was the way Aya wanted it he could do nothing but play along, could he? Ken sighed deeply and picked up the heavy sack. For one short afternoon he had been happy and from experience he knew that happiness was expensive. Solemly he carried the oats into the barn and dropped it next to the others. For a while he just stood there and cursed himself for being so stupid to think that something would actually go his way, he should have known better. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist. Ken froze and swallowed. So Aya thought this was a good time to… to do whatever it was he was doing? Well the brunette was not going to be someone who Aya could just turn to when it was convenient. Besides, the whole situation was starting to look a lot like what he had gone through with Kase and that was not a road he wanted to walk down again. He felt angry and hurt so he pushed the redhead away and frowned. Aya gave him a confused look that was pretty strange to see in his otherwise bland face.  
"What do you think you're doing Fujimiya?" If it was one thing Ken had learnt it was that calling him by his last name annoyed the taller man. The redhead's eyes showed a slight flicker of anger but he was obviously trying not to take the bait Ken was dangling infront of him. They looked at each other for a while and the brunette's anger grew stronger. He wanted a reaction from that stoic man, any reaction at all. "Cat got your tongue Fujimiya?" he drawled and smiled sweetly. Aya still didn't say anything but his eyes had turned frosty. "I have work to do so could you vanish?" Ken waited for an answer but none came. "You seem to be good at vanishing or rather making others feel like they've vanished!"  
"So that's what this is about," Aya sighed. "Listen Ken I can't just…"  
"Can't just what? Act like a normal human being?!" the brunette spat out. He wasn't sure but he could have sworn that Aya winced at that.  
"What do you want from me?! I can't act 'that' way around the others you know that Ken," the taller man muttered and his eyes were still annoyed. Ken huffed.  
"I wasn't asking you to hug or kiss me or whatever! I was simply asking you to act like a normal person Aya! And…" He paused for a moment to make sure the redhead was really listening. "… I don't want a God damn thing from you!" Angry and already regretting his words Ken turned his back to Aya.  
"You don't get it do you?" The question was ignored. "Damnit Ken! Will you at least look at me when I'm talking to you?" The brunette didn't move, he couldn't turn around because it was already hard enough for him to control his emotions without having to look at Aya. "Ken I'm sorry that you feel like I'm ignoring you but I have to. Everybody would wonder if I all of the sudden started acting friendly because that's not who I am. And if I get too close to you without touching you I'll go insane but I suppose I don't have to worry about that anymore huh? I really wanted to give this a shoot but I respect that you don't." Ken was frozen in place. That was not what he had expected to hear from Aya and it made his heart swell, until he heard the last part. He swirled around but found that the redhead was already gone.  
"Higgins you're such a fucking moron!" he cried out and hit himself over the head.

Omi laughed and tried to escape the fingers the tickled his sides.  
"Please Yoji stop it!" he squeeled and was pulled down against the older boys chest.  
"Sorry baby but you're just so fun to tickle and you sound soo cute when you squeel." Omi plastered a pout on his face.  
"I do NOT squeel!" he objected loudly and then giggled when Yoji nipped at the skin on his neck.  
"Oh yes you do and I love it," the taller blonde murmured and pulled the small body closer to him. Omi relaxed and leaned against Yoji's chest. It felt so good and so safe to be close to the older boy. He had never felt like that before and it made him happy. Exactly what it was he was feeling towards Yoji he wasn't sure of but it felt great. The door to the barrack flung open and Aya walked in with a rather strange look on his face. Omi quickly moved away slightly from Yoji and frowned.  
"Baka! Ore no baka!" the redhead muttered before he threw himself on his bed. The blondes looked at each other.  
"Um what's up with him?" Yoji asked quietely and frowned.  
"Dunno but my guess is that it has something to with Ken."  
"There's something going on between those two," the taller blonde nodded and again looked at Aya. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that they're…" His voice trailed off.  
"So I'm not the only one who noticed it huh?" The door opened again and Tin-pot walked in.  
"Boys we have a delivery." Aya sat up and glared at the old man. "The company have decided that you won't be making them alone for a while. We've had several incidents lately."  
"Don't look at me," Yoji muttered and corrected his bandages. Tin-pot chuckled slightly and put a piece of chewing-tobacco in his mouth.  
"You have another week off. Aya and Ken will make this one." The redhead's face turned into a deep scowl.  
"Kuso!"  
"What was that?"  
"Never mind."  
"Hm well… You and Ken are heading to Grand Junction tomorrow. Be ready at noon," Tin-pot mumbled and left again. A string of japanese words slipped out of Aya's mouth and even though Yoji and Omi couldn't understand them they were obviously curses.

He damned everything and everybody, including Ken. Grand Junction meant that they would have to spend two nights on the road. That was just perfect! He understood why the brunette had been angry with him but to call everything off, was that really necessary? It wasn't like he was ignoring Ken out of spite. Still cursing the redhead rose and stomped outside again. Ken was going to flip when he heard the news. Spending six or seven days alone with a sulking and angry brunette did not seem all that appealing.  
"We're gonna kill each other," Aya predicted and scowled. Ken knew exactly what to say to piss him off and he wasn't going to let anything slip him by when he was so angry and hurt. It was going to be a fun trip.  
"I AM NOT GOING!" The redhead swirled around and stared at a fuming Ken and a slightly shocked Tin-pot. Their boss said something and the brunette started waving his arms while he talked.  
"Calm down Higgins!" Tin-pot finally yelled and took a hold of Ken's shirt. He spoke for a few moments before he let go. "Am I making myself clear?" Aya couldn't hear what the brunette answered but he guess that the old man had made himself clear since Ken hung his head and pouted. As soon as Tin-pot left brown eyes turned to him and glared. Aya sighed and glared back. Yes it was going to be a fun trip indeed.

~TBC~

I don't know about the distance between towns so I'm just guessing… Please don't flame me if it sounds way out of line. *sighs* Ja/Atsureki


	9. In The Pouring Rain

Weiß Reiter (White Riders)

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC, short crappy chapter *mopes*

Pairings : Aya/Ken, Yoji/Omi 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. 

Chapter 9. In The Pouring Rain

Yoji muttered as he shifted his body. He had never liked pain very much and he was fed up with having to stay in bed all the time. Although it did have its perks. The lanky blonde grinned. Omi was a great nurse and cuddling with him was heaven. For a moment he frowned slightly. 

He shouldn't feel so at ease with their relationship but Yoji just couldn't be bothered with looking for faults. It had been years since anyone had made him feel so good so to hell with everything else. Besides how could loving Omi possibly be any worse than pimping himself out to any woman that was willing? Love. Yoji chuckled softly. Yes he did love Omi, he was falling in love with the energetic little blonde. 

His past held secrets he had yet to share with Omi and that stood in his way but he had to believe that they could leave them behind. The lanky man sighed and looked around the barrack. How he hated that place at the moment. It was dusky, stuffy and lonely. What he wanted was a smoke, a drink and… He frowned. That was NOT what he wanted! Or was it? 

Yoji shook his head and fell back against the bed. Was that really all his mind could think of? He sighed with annoyance. Omi wasn't ready for that and he wasn't so sure he was either. Cursing his one-track mind the lanky blonde closed his eyes to get some rest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Omi walked, or rather bounced, towards the barrack while he sang quietly to himself. The sun was shining, birds where chirping and he was happy because… He grinned. Because Yoji made him happy. He still wasn't entirely sure what it was he felt for the tall blonde playboy but it was something he had never felt before. 

Omi smiled to himself and opened the door. Ken and Aya had left early that morning and would be gone for at least four days which gave him and Yoji a lot of time to themselves. The little blonde walked up to his friend and the smile on his face widened. Yoji was asleep. 

Carefully Omi toed of his boots and cuddled up next to the taller blonde. It felt so good to be so close to someone without having to fear being beaten. Yoji mumbled something and pulled Omi into his arms. Blue eyes closed and a low sound, almost a purr, rose from his throat. 

This was where he wanted to be, it felt like the reason he had been born was lie in those strong arms with his head on that chest. Yoji's steady heartbeat lulled him to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aya glanced at the brunette that rode next to him and sighed. They had been riding for hours and Ken still hadn't said a word to him. It was so silly! Ken was stubborn and Aya had a feeling that he was scared too. And he had every reason to be the redhead realized. 

The brunette had offered himself to a man before, he had given his heart and love to someone who had used him and then betrayed him. But Ken had to believe that Aya would never do something like that to him, right? The redhead sighed again. He had never felt the way he felt about Ken before and he was not going to just let it slip away from him. The brunette might be stubborn but so was Aya. 

He glanced at his friend again and a small smile played on his lips. If Ken was trying to get to him by using the silence treatment he had another thing coming. Aya had spent years ignoring everybody around him, he seldom talked to anyone so if that was the game the brunette wanted to play then good luck to him. 

"Would you stop staring at me!" Ken suddenly snapped and glared at the redhead with annoyance in his brown eyes.

"Hn," Aya grunted and met the angry look he got with complete indiffrence. _You're not going to win this one Ken and I'm not giving up,_ he added in his head. Ken snorted and his whole face turned into a scowl. 

"Moron!" 

"Baka!" The brunette snorted again. 

"Figures you'd cheat by using words I don't understand," he muttered sourly and Aya almost chuckled.

"Cheat?" the redhead asked with amusement in his deep voice. "Did someone make up rules while I wasn't paying attention?" Ken gritted his teeth and his eyes narrowed.

"Bastard."

"Jerk."

"Idiot."

"Nitwit."

"Moron!"

"Sorry Ken you lose, you've already used that one." The brunette's eyes turned black and his whole body tensed up.

"Fuck off Fujimiya!" he barked at the redhead and kicked his horse into a trot. Aya sighed and allowed Honey to follow the pace.

"You know if you'd just tell me what the rules are for this game you insist on playing with me I wouldn't get it all wrong," he said softly when he again was beside the angry brunette.

"What makes you think this is a game?!" 

"Then what is it Ken? Exactly what are you doing?" Ken didn't answer but the anger in his eyes faded. The low rumble of thunder broke the silence and seconds later the rain started pouring down.

"Perfect," Ken growled and pulled out his coat. Aya did the same and huddled into it. It only took a few minutes before they were both soaked to the bones.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was a miserable night for Ken. He was soaked, the ground cold and wet, his blanket damp and his teeth clattered. Shivering he curled deeper underneath the blanket and tried to fall asleep. They had found some shelter but it didn't help much since he was already wet. The small fire didn't give him much warmth either. 

Ken bit his lip to stop his teeth from clattering and glanced over to the redhead. Aya had fallen asleep almost immediately seeming completely unaffected by the raw damp cold. The brunette wanted nothing more than to go over to him and curl up against that slender body but his pride and stubbornness kept him from doing so. 

He sighed deeply. It was no wonder Aya didn't feel the cold! He was made of ice, Ken was sure of it. Although… when they had kissed there had been nothing frosty about the redhead, nothing that suggested that he was anything but a warm creature. 

He bit his lip and sighed again. Why couldn't he stop tormenting himself like that? It didn't do him any good and besides, he was the one who had said that he didn't want them to be together. But he knew that it wasn't Aya's fault that he was scared and unsure. Ken was being unfair but he couldn't help himself. 

His past had once again messed up his life. It was like no matter where he went or what he did Kase would forever be there, lingering, keeping the brunette from finding any kind of happiness. Ken wrapped his trembling arms around himself and tried to relax. Eventually exhaustion and the cold dragged him into a restless sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Omi listened to the rain that hammered down on the roof of the barrack. It was a cosy sound that made cuddling up to Yoji's warm body so much nicer. The little blonde smiled to himself and buried his face against the taller man's neck. Strong arms were wrapped around him and a steady heartbeat pounded in his ears. 

"You awake?" Yoji's hushed voice startled Omi and he lifted his head slightly to look at his friend. He met green eyes and nodded as an answer to the question. The lanky blonde gave him a soft smile and pulled down his face. Their noses touched and Omi's eyes fluttered close. He wanted to feel Yoji's lips on his, taste the older boy's mouth. 

It was confusing him how badly he wanted that and there was part of his mind that had tried to reason with him a few times, telling him that what he was doing was wrong. But since he couldn't quite figure out exactly what he was doing he couldn't understand what was wrong about it either. For the moment he pushed it away as Yoji's lips found his and softly caressed them. 

Willingly the petit blonde answered the chaste kiss. It only took seconds before it deepened and grew more urgent. Lips parted and tongues joined in. Slender fingers found their way underneath clothes and slowly brushed across pale skin. Omi let out a low moan at the sensation the older boy was creating with his mouth and fingers. 

He never allowed anyone to touch his back but he couldn't find a reason good enough to stop Yoji, not when it felt so good. They broke apart when the need for air couldn't be ignored any longer. Omi arched into the taller blonde's caresses on his back like a cat and a satisfied noise rose from his throat. Green eyes observed him carefully filled with something that the younger one couldn't read.

"Omi," Yoji said quietly and a small concerned frown appeared on his handsome face.

"Yeah?" 

"I just wanted you to know that I…" the tall boy paused for a moment, "that I love you." Omi's blue eyes widened and his whole body stiffened.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yoji watched for a reaction to his hushed words. Omi's eyes grew impossibly large and his muscles tensed. Neither one of them moved for a while. Had he made a mistake? Moved too fast? Gently Yoji caressed the short blondes back in an attempt to sooth him. Omi flinched under the touch as if it had burned him and shot to his feet. His blue eyes shone with fear and his lithe body trembled.

"Omi? I won't hurt you," Yoji said softly and reached out his hand. The flaxen haired boy before him cowered and took several steps back. "Omi please say something." He got no response except the stare from those big eyes. The tall blonde carefully got up and approached him. Yoji pulled the trembling body close to his and grabbed a hold of the back of Omi's shirt. "I would never hurt you," he murmured hoarsly. Before his words had died out he was pushed aside. Omi's hands came into contact with the wound in Yoji's side and caused him to growl in pain. "Fuck!" His hard curse seemed to hit the little blonde like the lash from a whip. Whimpering in fear Omi swirled around, ran out and into the pouring rain. Yoji stared after him. What the hell had he done wrong?

~TBC (if I can convince my bloody muse to work with me instead of against me *sighs*)~

Hm looks like everybody has problems here ne? Ken is being proud and stubborn when he should just give Aya a chance. Yoji is moving a little to fast and who knows why Omi reacted so badly? Actually I do *hehe* I left some clues to his behaviour in previous chapters sort of so you might be able to guess what went wrong. 

Can Aya get Ken to trust him? Can Yoji do the same with Omi? And where did Omi disappear to? Is Ken alright all cold and wet? Oh the joy of questions… *bangs her head against the wall* Ja/Atsureki


	10. Remembering

Weiß Reiter (White Riders)

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Just borrowing them! Don't ask, don't sue.

Warnings : AU, Shonen-ai, OCC, Real short chapter *mopes*

Pairings : Aya/Ken, Yoji/Omi 

Notes : Stuff in _Italic_ are thoughts as usual. 

Chapter 10. Remembering

Omi ran as fast as he could while the rain poured down on him, flowing down his face along with the tears he cried. He didn't know where he was going and it didn't matter at the moment as long as he could get away from Yoji. Panting for air he slipped in the mud and fell to the ground. 

Too tired to get up he stayed there, trembling as his thin arms wrapped around his chest. He had thought that it would be different, that his past was behind him but it wasn't. 

How could he have been so foolish? They were all the same, they would all treat him the same. Sobbing he pressed his cheek into the cold mud and shut his eyes. His uncle's voice rang through his head like thunder and he whimpered in fear. 

"_I would never hurt you,_" was what he had said followed by; "_I love you Omi._" 

After that the beating had come. Large strong fists that pounded on his body until he blackened out. Omi shivered and crawled across the slippry ground. He wouldn't let anyone beat him like that again! It took no effort to recall the last beating he had received. 

*flashback*

The little blonde smiled at one of the saloon-girls and continued towards the backroom to get some more bottles for the bar.

"OMI!" His uncle's voice boomed through the saloon and Omi froze. What had he done wrong this time?

"Y… yes uncle?" he asked carefully.

"Get your ass up here you little brat!" Reluctantly the small blonde headed upstairs and into his uncle's office. The large man towered over him with anger blazing in his blue eyes. "What the hell is this?!" Omi glanced up and bit his lip.

"I… I just… It's…" His uncle waved a book infront of him.

"You're my nephew Omi and I love you but you're always making it so difficult! I told you that I don't want you reading, didn't I?" The boy nodded slowly. "Why do you insist on making me beat you up every single day?!"

"But uncle I just…"

"Enough! I'm doing this because I love you Omi, it's for your own good damnit! I can't believe that a nephew of mine can be this slow. You're mother was an intelligent woman but you just don't get anything I try and teach you!" 

Normally the large man tired to avoid hitting him in the face but he didn't seem to care about where he left marks this time. The first punch landed on Omi's cheek and caused him to bite his lip hard enough to draw blood. 

Another punch, a fist in his stomach and then it went back to the usual deal. Hard hands that pounded on his back and sides occasionally joined by a swift kick, also directed to his lower back. 

"Please," he pleaded and almost choked on the blood that ran from his nose. His uncle huffed but at least the beating stopped.

"Remember Omi I don't want to hurt you but I'm doing this because I love you. Now go clean yourself up and think about what I've said. I don't understand why you have to make it so difficult for yourself. It's not like I ask for much." The man left him lying on the floor and stalked out of the room. Omi sobbed carefully and wiped the blood from his face.

*end flashback*

Omi swallowed and slowly got to his feet. That was something he would never forget, wouldn't even be able to if he tried. His uncle had taught him was love was. Omi knew what others claimed that the word meant, but he knew better. To him love was just another word for hate, or was it perhaps that hate was another word for love? It didn't really matter. 

The little blonde ran a hand through his dirty and wet hair. When you love someone you beat them, hurt them, that was something he had learnt the hard way. The little blonde stumbled towards the barn as he sobbed. He wouldn't let Yoji love him like that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yoji lit a cigarette and paced the stuffy barrack. It must have been at least an hour since Omi had ran out of there. He sighed deeply and carefully rubbed his wound. What had he done wrong? Surely it couldn't have been his confession of love? The blonde shook his head and took a long drag from his smoke. 

No that was just too farfetched, wasn't it? Okay he might have moved a little too fast but still, it was not reason enough for the fear in Omi's eyes. Or was it? Yoji gritted his teeth and sank down on his bed. He could understand if the small blonde had been scared of being loved by another boy but this was something completely different. 

Omi hadn't looked a little scared or uneasy, he had looked terrified, as if he expected Yoji to… The lanky blonde stopped. The younger boy had looked like he was about to be beaten. He shook his head and frowned deeply. But why on earth would he hit Omi? 

That made no sense at all and besides, why would he assume that when Yoji had said that he loved him? Another puff of smoke rose to the ceiling. The slender boy had said that his uncle had beaten him because he hated Omi. Hate was not love so there had to be some other reason.

"Where are you Omi?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ran yawned and stretched as he woke up. His back was a little stiff from sleeping on the hard ground but other than that he was ready to get going. The redhead rose from his blankets and glanced over to where Ken was. A mop of brown hair was all he could see.

"Ken, wake up." He got no reply, no reaction. "Ken!" A groan came from the blankets but the brunette made no attempt to get up. Ran raised an eyebrown and trotted over to Ken. "Hey! We have to get going." Gently he shook the sleeping boy. Finally he got a reaction and Ken opened his eyes.

"What is it?" the brunette asked with his voice scratchy and thin. Ran frowned and looked into Ken's eyes. They were shiny and dazed, not clear and sparkly as they usually were.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine just tired." The brunette stumbled to his feet and swayed for a while.

"Are you sure? You look like shit," Ran muttered and turned to one of the saddle bags to get something for breakfast.

"Thanks you look great too," Ken snorted and coughed a little. "Can we just go?" The redhead frowned. Something wasn't right with the shorter boy, he looked like he was sick. 

"Let's have breakfast first, ne?" 

"I'm not hungry," Ken whined and rubbed his head. Ran frowned harder. The brunette was always hungry!

"Well I am and I think we both could use something hot to drink." Ken muttered something and plopped down on his blankets, looking exhausted even though he hadn't done anything at all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He felt like shit. His head pounded, his throat ached and his body felt like it had been run over by a herd of cattle. Ken groaned and accepted the tea Ran handed him. He could barely swallow the hot liquid but he refused to show how badly he felt. The last thing he needed was the redhead's concern. What he really wanted was his bed, darkness and 20 blankets. 

The air around him was way too cold and he couldn't stop shaking. His fingers felt stiff and his eyes kept drifting close. Damn even his eye balls hurt. Annoyed he wiped the sweat from his forehead and groaned again. How the hell was he suppose to ride all day? Well he was going to have to suck it up because they needed to get going. 

He rose on shaky legs and stumbled towars his horse feeling Aya's eyes on him all the time. It took all he had but he managed to saddle Raisin and even though his limbs felt so heavy he somehow got up onto the horse. Exhausted and unsure of if he was going to faint or not Ken kicked his mount into action and closed his eyes. 

Maybe he could take a little nap? Unaware of the amethyst eyes that were glued to him the brunette drifted off into a fitful sleep, swaying dangerously in the saddle.

~TBC~

Um don't have much to say except that Omi's look on love makes sense to me in my twisted little head *sighs* Love means different things to different people and Omi's uncle had several years to twist the word's meaning around in Omi's head. I'll shut up now… Ja/Atsureki


End file.
